Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career...

21
Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University of Bangor Gary Jones, University of Swansea Rob Ward, The Centre for Recording Achievement

Transcript of Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career...

Page 1: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and

career development in Wales and beyond…

John Jackson, University of Bangor

Gary Jones, University of Swansea

Rob Ward, The Centre for Recording Achievement

Page 2: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

In the beginning…White Paper on ‘the Future of Higher Education’ (HMSO, 2003)

• “we must … ensure that we have robust ways of describing, measuring and recording student achievement which are helpful to the student, to institutions, to employers, and to other stakeholders.” (para. 4.7).

Page 3: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

The HEAR: a summative record…

1. provides a detailed (national and international) single record of student achievement; (incorporating both the DS and HE Transcript);

2. enables provision of a full academic record, including the opportunity for detailed information of achievement in respect of different forms of assessment;

A wider record…

3. provides a common structured format within which to include details of the wider achievements of the learner within section 6.1.

Page 4: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

4. is designed to be much more than an exit document, being developed from entry to HE onwards. This will enable it to be used:• as a basis for reviewing progress and planning future activities;• to support student engagement with a range of opportunities beyond the curriculum;

• as an aide memoire for students in considering applications for sandwich placements, study abroad or internships, or for permanent employment or further study before the final award is made;

• subject to appropriate permissions, as a source of information that can be accessed by prospective employers (and admissions tutors).

Page 5: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

Perspectives on the HEAR:

• an institutional record to be implemented;

• a richer record of achievement;

• a resource/catalyst to support student engagement and claims to employability…

• a potential resource for employers and recruiters…

Page 6: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.
Page 7: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

www.swansea.ac.uk

Swansea University - enhancing students’ employability

Swansea University

has issued a Diploma Supplement to all undergraduate

and Masters’ students since 2005

was awarded a Diploma Supplement label for the period

2009 - 2013 - one of only 3 in the UK to have been

awarded a label in recognition of it meeting the criteria

issued a Diploma Supplement and an e-HEAR to students

in 2012 but since 2013 only issues an e-HEAR (Diploma

Supplement)

was awarded a Diploma Supplement Label, based on the

e-HEAR (Dip Supp), in December 2013.

Page 8: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

www.swansea.ac.uk

Swansea University - enhancing students’ employability

Why did Swansea University risk its Dip. Supp. Label Status?

In the students’ interest

It is electronic and hence easily accessible by many parties

The Gradintel Software allows employers to access the records

The e-HEAR is a live document and is referred to throughout the

student’s candidature to encourage and promote development

Additional non-academic achievements can be recorded in section

6.1 such as prizes and awards – using the Gradintel software

The Academic Registrar no longer has to sign them all

personally!!!

Page 9: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

www.swansea.ac.uk

Swansea University - enhancing students’ employability

Section 6.1 Recording Personal Achievements

Employability enhancing aspects of the curriculum

- Mobility - Work placements

- Language skills - Welsh-medium provision etc

Personal achievements and Awards

University Prizes

A range of College and University prizes are recorded on the recipient’s

HEAR (Diploma Supplement)

Swansea Employability Award Swansea International Award

Discovery Volunteering Award Egypt Centre Award

Military Training Qualification Swansea Sustainability Award

Students’ Union Skills Award (TBC) Entrepreneurship Award (TBC)

Gwobr Academi Hywel Teifi (TBC)

Page 10: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

www.swansea.ac.uk

Challenges

• Student engagement with Gradintel;

• Staff engagement with the new personal tutoring system;

• Managing the Students’ Union Award.

Page 11: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

Liaison between Careers & Employability, Academic Registry and Students’ Union

Existing BEA scheme has already laid much-needed groundwork for 6.1

SU formalising student involvement, recording activity

Internal activities data, from a wide range of academic and service departments, provided in bulk-upload format

Academic staff recognising the national status of HEAR and helping to promote engagement (via existing personal tutors system)

But slowly, and some more than others!

Facilitates more focus on students’ personal development

Opportunities & Strengths

Page 12: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

Summary of the Core Programme of the BEA

Self-assessment analysis of your skills & qualities

Skills Planning

Practice profiling assessments (3rd-party-assessed)

Practice reasoning tests (3rd-party-assessed)

Career management workshops

Skills development workshops

Reflections on your activities & experiences

Personal employability statement

Page 13: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

Summary of BEA Activities Programme

Menus

A proportion of extracurricular activitiesExperiences of workVolunteering, representation, clubs & societiesEnterprise & innovationSkills development, training & learning

A proportion of co-curricular activitiesSubject-specific activities & experiencesReflections upon your curriculum

Page 14: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

• The Core Programme facilitates the cross-referencing of the graduate attributes identified in a skills plan, with those enhanced/attained and reflected upon throughout the bespoke Activities Programme

• In addition, the enhancement/attainment and reflection upon any equivalent graduate attributes in the curriculum can be referenced in the BEA; this provides an understanding of a ‘triangulation’ of attributes across the different aspects of the student’s university life

• HEAR will facilitate further by drawing all of these aspects into one easy-reference point

Curricular

ExtracurricularCo-curricular

More focus on students’ personal

development

Page 15: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

Updating existing BEA regulations to include HEAR

Bilingual HEAR?

Formative access for students

Interface with existing bespoke BEA software

Empty 6.1 – suggested BEA Core as minimum, to help combat

Clearly differentiating between HEAR, BEA & CVs

Marketing at/communication with 1st year students

Some of the

Challenges

Page 16: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

On employers and recruiters….employers come in all shapes and sizes…

Page 17: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

Aggregated employer messages…

• Simplicity of format and concise content, though not at the extent of removing the individual and personal focus > ‘sales pitch’ for the University to be avoided!.

• Institutional verification of wider achievements seen as a new and welcome development .

• Substantial preference for an electronic HEAR, and for this to be available for scrutiny in respect of applications for internships or - in the final year of undergraduate study - for employment opportunities (the evolving HEAR).

• Primary value in enabling students to be ‘more choiceful’; importance of making the most of the University experience, thinking and acting to develop a range of experiences and achievements beyond academic programmes, and in providing a richer record they could use to articulate and evidence achievements.

Page 18: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

HEAR supporting student/graduate progression – and employability…The applicant uses their HEAR as

an ‘aide memoire’ to help when

filling in an application form – or

developing their CV – manually.

Document share - the applicant

grants access by email to a

specific employer to whom they

have applied in support of their

application. (requires employer to

register with University, student

controls access)

Paper HEAR, virtual HEAR data reflected back to via student portal and/or end of year HEAR provided via trusted third party organisation.

Virtual HEAR (PDF) delivered by institution or trusted third party organisation.

Page 19: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

Through electronic matching - ‘talent spotting’ - by the use of software that facilitates an interrogation of students/applicants achievements by potential employers.

‘Data Exchange’ -the incorporation of data derived from the HEAR within online application systems.

HEAR held as a data set.

HEAR held as a data set, needs to conform to technical specification.

Page 20: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

Over to you…

Given the scenarios, what can the various actors do to enhance student employability?

Page 21: Making a difference: the Higher Education Achievement Report: supporting employability and career development in Wales and beyond… John Jackson, University.

Employability… a perspective from Google

‘Your degree is not a proxy for your ability to do any job.

The world only cares about — and pays off on — what you can do with what you know (and it doesn’t care how you learned it)…

.. in an age when innovation is increasingly a group endeavour, it also cares about a lot of soft skills — leadership, humility, collaboration, adaptability and loving to learn and re-learn.’